Authors : Wajid Ali Shah, Varsha Mandloi, Abhishek Shrivastava, G K. Sawke
DOI : 10.18231/j.ijpo.2019.065
Volume : 6
Issue : 3
Year : 2019
Page No : 339-342
Introduction: The magnitude of head and neck cancers in the Indian subcontinent is very high. Involvement of neck nodes is indicative of higher stage and subsequent adverse prognosis when compared with node negative disease. The frequency of such spread is high, approximately 20% for head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). The purpose of this study was to analyse the pattern of nodal involvement in patients presenting with SCC of oral cavity and oropharynx and its correlation with survival.
Materials and Methods: Forty cases of carcinoma of oral cavity and oropharynx were analysed retrospectively. Data were collected and reviewed from the patient’s case files. Patients were analysed for age and sex distribution, tumour staging, metastasis and overall survival.
Results: The majority of cases were T4 lesions (n=18, 45%), followed by T2 lesions (n=14, 35%) and T3 lesions (n=8, 20%). 65% patients (n=26) had positive neck nodes, with/without adverse pathologic features mandating post-operative radiotherapy, while 35% patients had nodes negative neck. The mean overall survival of the node negative was 15 months (range 01 – 65 months) and was significantly more(p value 0.0028) than that of node positive patients 9months (range 01-40 months). A statistically significant difference in survival was seen between the nodes negative patients than those with ?3 positive neck nodes. (p=0.03)
Conclusion: Involvement of neck nodes in cases of carcinoma of oral cavity and oropharynx is an indicator of poor prognosis. The number of pathologically positive neck nodes can be used as a predictor of treatment outcome.
Keywords: Oral cavity, Oropharynx, Cervical neck nodes, Radiotherapy, Survival outcome.